Syphilis Definition

sĭfə-lĭs
noun
An infectious disease caused by a spirochete (Treponema pallidum) and transmitted usually by sexual intercourse or acquired congenitally: if untreated, it can ultimately lead to the degeneration of the heart, bones, nerve tissue, etc.
Webster's New World

(pathology) A disease spread via sexual activity, caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum.

Wiktionary
Synonyms:

Origin of Syphilis

  • New Latin from Syphilis, sive Morbus Gallicus “Syphilis, or the French Disease,” title of a poem by Girolamo Fracastoro (1478?–1553) from Syphilus the poem's protagonist

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Modern Latin, originally the title of a poem by Girolamo Fracastoro concerning "Syphilus", the supposed first sufferer of the disease.

    From Wiktionary

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to syphilis using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

syphilis